Poster display and dispenser

ABSTRACT

Disclosed is a poster display and dispenser. The display finds particular application in commercial retail establishments. The display allows salespeople to display a range of poster designs while at the same time allowing consumers to access rolled up posters for purchase.

RELATED APPLICATION DATA

This application claims benefit of co-pending application Ser. No. 60/501,148 filed on Sep. 5, 2003 and entitled “Poster Display and Dispenser.” The contents of this application are incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

This invention relates to a commercial display. More particularly, the present invention relates to a commercial display for posters.

2. Description of the Background Art

Presently, poster display devices are formed from a steel framework that forms individual openings into which rolled up poster are inserted. Overtop of the frame are one or more pivotal poster frame holders that allow users to view different posters and, thereby, decide which poster to purchase.

Another common poster display device stores rolled up posters in the vertical orientation with an adjacent legend depicting the various posters that are for sale.

Although each of the above referenced inventions achieves its individual objective, they all suffer from a common problem. Namely, they do not afford horizontal storage of posters while at the same time permitting users to easily view the available posters.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is therefore one of the objectives of this invention to provide for the horizontal storage of posters in a portable commercial display.

It is also an object of this invention to provide a poster display that allows users to easily view which posters are for sale.

Still another object of this invention is to provide a poster display that is economically formed from cardboard.

Another object of this invention is to provide a display that stores posters having a dimension of either 12 inches by 36 inches or 11¾inches by 36 inches.

The foregoing has outlined rather broadly the more pertinent and important features of the present invention in order that the detailed description of the invention that follows may be better understood so that the present contribution to the art can be more fully appreciated. Additional features of the invention will be described hereinafter which form the subject of the claims of the invention. It should be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the conception and the specific embodiment disclosed may be readily utilized as a basis for modifying or designing other structures for carrying out the same purposes of the present invention. It should also be realized by those skilled in the art that such equivalent constructions do not depart from the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

For a fuller understanding of the nature and objects of the invention, reference should be had to the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the poster display and dispenser of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a side view of the poster display and dispenser of the present invention depicted in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is the side view of the poster display depicted in FIG. 2 with the container flap opened.

Similar reference characters refer to similar parts throughout the several views of the drawings.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

The present invention relates to a poster display and dispenser. The display finds particular application in commercial retail establishments. The display allows salespeople to merchandize a range of poster designs while at the same time allowing consumers to easily access rolled up posters for purchase.

The poster display 20 is illustrated in FIG. 1 and includes an elongated body portion 22 and an inclined header portion 24. The body 22 can be decorated on its outside with the posters that are being offered for sale 22 a. The front surface can be used to display a full size poster 22 b that is either 12 inches by 36 inches or 11¾ inches by 36 inches. As is noted thereinafter, the display finds particular application in storing posters of these sizes.

The inclined header 24 includes miniature depictions 26 (note FIG. 1) of the various posters being sold. The header 24 can also include other product information 26 a, such as pricing. Ideally, the header 24 is inclined at an angle, such as 45 degrees, to permit ease of viewing by consumers.

Once a consumer has determined which poster they wish to purchase, they can access individual posters from an opened dispensing side 28 of the display. This dispensing side 28 is illustrated in FIG. 2 and, in the preferred embodiment, has three cells (30, 32, 34). The two upper most cells (30, 32) are each further divided into nine compartments for receipt of rolled up posters 36 (note FIG. 3) in the horizontal orientation. In the preferred embodiment, the display is for use with posters having dimensions of 11¾″×36″ or 12″×36″. Accordingly, the width “w” of the display is preferably 12 inches. This width allows the individual cells to accommodate rolled up posters having a dimension of either 11¾″×36″ or 12″×36″. Each cell is also dimensioned such that it can accommodate four rolled up posters.

The lowermost cell 34 is covered by a flap 38 which is a continuation of the other sides of the display. The flap 38 can be used to selectively cover the lowermost cell 34, which can be used to store additional posters. The flap 38 is advantageous because it prevents consumers from accessing posters in the lowermost cell 34 and, otherwise, prevents consumers from unintentionally kicking or damaging the posters in the lower cell 34.

The display is preferably formed from a durable cardboard material. However, the use of other materials is within the scope of the present invention. The use of cardboard means that the display is both lightweight and easily transportable. It also means that the display can be economically constructed from several cardboard blanks. The cardboard blanks can be used to construct the display of the present invention.

The present disclosure includes that contained in the appended claims, as well as that of the foregoing description. Although this invention has been described in its preferred form with a certain degree of particularity, it is understood that the present disclosure of the preferred form has been made only by way of example and that numerous changes in the details of construction and the combination and arrangement of parts may be resorted to without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

Now that the invention has been described, 

1. A display for storing posters and for allowing consumers to easily view the posters stored therein, the display comprising in combination: a cardboard housing having upper and lower extents, a first display side and a second storage side; an inclined surface forming the upper extent of the cardboard housing, indicia on the inclined surface, the indicia including miniature representations of the posters being stored within the display, the indicia also including pricing information about the posters, the surface being inclined at an angle 45 of degrees to facilitate ease of viewing; a series of rectangular openings formed within the storage side of the display and adapted to house a number of rolled up posters, each opening specifically adapted to receive a rolled up poster having a width of 12 inches; an enlarged closure formed within the storage side of the display at the lower extend, the closure having a hinged lid for selectively closing the closure.
 2. A display for storing posters and for allowing consumers to easily view the posters stored therein, the display comprising in combination: a housing having upper and lower extents, a first display side and a second storage side; an inclined surface forming the upper extent of the cardboard housing, indicia on the inclined surface, the indicia including miniature representations of the posters being stored within the display, the indicia also including pricing information about the posters, the surface being inclined to facilitate ease of viewing; at least one rectangular opening formed within the storage side of the display and adapted to house posters.
 3. The display as described in claim 2 wherein the display is constructed entirely from cardboard.
 4. The display as described in claim 2 wherein an enlarged closure formed within the storage side of the display at the lower extend, the closure having a hinged lid for selectively closing the closure.
 5. The display as described in claim 2 wherein there are a series of rectangular openings formed within the storage side of the display.
 6. The display as described in claim 2 wherein the rectangular opening accommodates a rolled up poster having a width of between 11¾ inches and 12 inches.
 6. A display for storing posters comprising in combination: a housing having upper and lower extents, a first display side and a second storage side; an surface forming the upper extent of the cardboard housing, indicia on the surface, the indicia including representations of the posters being stored within the display; at least one rectangular opening formed within the storage side of the display and adapted to house posters. 